Cost: varies, click below to choose

California Fish and Game Code Section 2541 requires guide license applicants to obtain a surety bond of at least $1,000 and submit proof of coverage. Bonds Express offers the $1,000 California Guide License Bond online in one-year, two-year, and three-year terms.

Buy Your California Guide License Bond

The $1,000 bond amount is the required coverage amount, not the price you pay for the bond. Bonds Express currently offers the following options:

  • 1 year: $50
  • 2 years: $75
  • 3 years: $100

Select your preferred term below and click Purchase Bond Now to buy your bond.

California Guide License Bond Expiration

The California Guide License Bond expires on January 31, when the annual guide-license term ends. The bond must remain valid for the full license term.

Existing Bonds Express customers who receive a renewal invoice can pay their bond renewal online using the policy and invoice information provided.

California Guide License Bond Requirements

Who Needs This Bond?

A California guide license is required for a person who guides or packs as a business or, for compensation, assists another person in taking or attempting to take birds, mammals, fish, amphibians, or reptiles.

The requirement also applies to a person who transports clients, their equipment, or both to or from hunting or fishing areas for profit.

Bond Amount and Regulating Agency

The required surety bond amount is at least $1,000. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife administers guide licensing and requires proof that the bond is valid for the complete license term.

What Does the California Guide License Bond Cover?

The bond guarantees the faithful performance of the guide and the guide’s agents or employees when fulfilling their responsibilities to clients. These responsibilities include protecting client safety and welfare and providing the agreed guide services.

The bond provides protection when a licensed guide or their agents or employees fail to meet these bonded responsibilities.

Find Another California Surety Bond

Need a different bond for your California license or business? Browse our California surety bonds to find and purchase the applicable bond.

A surety bond protects the party requesting the bond, the Obligee, against any financial losses as a result of poor financial decisions, damages, unethical decisions, or a failure to follow state and local laws on the part of you, the Principal.  The California Guide License Bond holds you accountable for your business decisions. 

By possessing a California Guide License Bond, you are telling your Obligee that you can be trusted as a Principal and that you stand behind your business decisions.